I am looking for a very quick answer to a question! I have just bought an iPhone 5 and before I switch it on I know it's going to ask me about updating and syncing contacts that I already have in my contacts list. When I do this - will Twitter automatically follow anyone who's in my address book if they have an email address connected to Twitter? Or do I have have to add people I wish to follow manually. I'm a manager so it's important I don't follow anyone I shouldn't be since our company has a good old 'social media policy'.

I am looking for a very quick answer to a question! I have just bought an iPhone 5 and before I switch it on I know it's going to ask me about updating and syncing contacts that I already have in my contacts list. When I do this - will Twitter automatically follow anyone who's in my address book if they have an email address connected to Twitter? Or do I have have to add people I wish to follow manually. I'm a manager so it's important I don't follow anyone I shouldn't be since our company has a good old 'social media policy'.

Hurry all - I wanna switch it on and get going!!!

Love your article - thanks!!

Twitter should not auto import your contact list because unless you're restoring from a backup, you will have to sign in to Twitter either via setup or via a Twitter app. I don't have a Facebook account so I can't speak for it.

Will the iPhone automatically start to follow people in my contact list - I don't want all my employees whose email address I have and who maybe using Twitter, to get an email saying their boss is now following them!!

Will the iPhone automatically start to follow people in my contact list - I don't want all my employees whose email address I have and who maybe using Twitter, to get an email saying their boss is now following them!!

No. Twitter on your iPhone will continue to follow those that you were already following... when you sign in to your twitter account you will see them. But Twitter (and any of the 3rd party apps) will NOT simply follow anyone/everyone that in in your contact list simply because you’re using Twitter and so are they, and that they happen to be in your contact list. You still have to add/remove people manually.

So basically - there is no way to automatically follow someone just through syncing contacts? The reason I'm a little overly-concerned about this, is that there is an employee in my company who claimed their new iPhone5 phone had asked them to 'upload all contacts to Twitter' while syncing contacts etc. So you are 100% clear that this is definitely not possible? There was some discord between us at the time, so it's very important I get this straight!

As far as I know, there's no way to 'follow' someone on Twitter without specifically somehow "clicking a button" to do so... the mere act of synching contacts to a mobile device is not enough to initiate a Twitter 'follow'... and if there's and app that does so, it's a crappy, un-secure app.

That's fantastic news thank you - in light of whats been said this could make an issue I was very unclear about (and also almost made me regret buying an iPhone) in to a rather formal one! I appreciate all your comments and welcome any further ones with open arms!!!

As far as I know, there's no way to 'follow' someone on Twitter without specifically somehow "clicking a button" to do so... the mere act of synching contacts to a mobile device is not enough to initiate a Twitter 'follow'... and if there's and app that does so, it's a crappy, un-secure app.

Unless you happen to have your contacts' Twitter names in their contact information, it would be impossible anyway. And if you have their Twitter handles, it's probably because you already follow them.

Can you follow someone - that you are not already following, on Twitter, when you get a new iPhone5, by installing the twitter app and if you have their phone number and email address in your contacts?

I'm not really asking if I can follow someone (I know I can if I want to) - what I'm asking is can it happen without my knowledge either by accident or indirectly?

EDITED:

I jut took this screenshot from the twitter site and it's the short paragraph at the bottom which is worrying me.

When you integrate your Twitter with your address book, if you are already following someone on Twitter, he will be added to your address book. If there is enough information there, he might be added to a contact already in your address book. Otherwise you will find a new contact with no information beyond a Twitter name (which frequently has no bearing on a person's real name).

You cannot automatically follow anyone in your address book since their Twitter names are not in their contact information. Period. Twitter names are specific to Twitter and have nothing to do with the information you have in your address book.

Your short answer - as has been explained 6 times now, is NO.

You can only follow people on a one at a time specific basis by going into the Twitter app (any Twitter app), or Twitter on the web, and clicking the Follow button, or sending the Follow @name command.